Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014) and an outstanding 66% of the work of Loughborough’s academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average figure of 43%. In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career. The application of electric-field in materials processing will revolutionise future manufacturing. In comparison with conventional thermo-mechanical processing, it is rapid, consumes less energy, has a lower environmental impact and requires less capital investment. However, statements like these need justification beyond laboratory scale experiments. Through this project, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of mechanical (super) plasticity in metals and alloys induced by high-intensity electric fields for improvement of material processing in modern manufacture. The research will focus on the influence of the imposed electric field on the alloy material taking into consideration the initial underlying micro-structure of the material. An electric field-assisted machining system will be designed, developed and installed on an existing CNC machine, with the aim of cutting metals without coolants, using less force and machining-induced damage. Machining studies will be conducted at industrially relevant machining conditions. Comparisons will be drawn with current practice for best machining outcomes. It is expected that electro plasticity enhanced machining will lead to less machining forces with reduced tool wear and post machining (tensile) residual stresses. A new theoretical model of crystalline plasticity has been developed which will be implemented for efficient and accurate computations. The results from the experimental studies will aid calibration and validation of the numerical models accounting for specifics of the underlying microstructure under the influence of electric fields. Finally, several case studies will be conducted on aerospace grade materials in collaboration with our research and industrial partners in Japan and in the UK.